Magnitude 6.8 earthquake in India, several dead

Sunday, 18 September 2011 13:20

A magnitude 6.8 earthquake hit a remote area in northeastern India on Sunday evening, killing at least two people and damaging buildings and blocking roads, as well as killing four in neighboring Nepal, officials said.

One child died in Sikkim state, the epicenter of the earthquake, and another person died in Bihar state as a result of a stampede sparked by the quake, CNN-IBN broadcaster said.

The Himalayan region is prone to landslides and many high-rise buildings have come up in Sikkim's mountain towns over the last few years of economic boom. There were concerns that the toll could rise as information arrived from remote areas. In neighboring Nepal, four people died.

"Four people were injured when a wall collapsed after the quake. All of them were rushed to hospital but 3 died during treatment," said Kedar Rijal, the chief of Kathmandu police.

Several buildings collapsed in Sikkim's capital Gangtok, and widespread power cuts were reported across the northeastern state, television channels said.